


The Forgotten Continent

by canonkiller



Series: Wings of Fire Rewrite [4]
Category: Wings of Fire - Tui T. Sutherland
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, Fix-It, Gen, Lesbian Character, Nonbinary Character, The Lost Continent, Trans Character, Trans he/him Lesbian Thoughtful, well it might not be canon divergent. that's up in the air
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-16
Updated: 2018-04-08
Packaged: 2019-04-01 02:25:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,907
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13988517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/canonkiller/pseuds/canonkiller
Summary: For centuries, there have been rumors of another continent on the dragons' planet - another land far across the ocean, populated by tribes of dragons very different from those we know; those with the powers of ice, fire, water, and earth. But they have never crossed the sea, and no dragon has wanted to risk their life simply to find a new danger on the ancient, rumored land... until now.Because it turns out the stories are true.And the other tribes are coming.





	1. Prologue

The plains were silent, save for the distant calls of birds and the ever-present hum of insect wings skimming across the top of the sun-bleached waves of grass. The three moons shone overhead, their faces white and full against the glittering black curtain of night, turning every gust of wind into a silvery ripple across the earth; the dark blotches on the ground where the moonlight was blocked by gnarled, stocky trees seemed like pits clawed into the earth by ancient talons.

"Come on, now," a voice broke the silence. "You don't want to be late to the Hatching, do you?"

"We've still got a few hours until moonhigh," another voice answered. A pause, and then a sigh. "I'm behind you."

Two dark shapes broke from one of the shadowed patches, their pace brisk as they wove through hidden trails already broken through the undergrowth. Both walked on all fours, with wings folded across their backs; the one in front was larger, with a thick tail shaped somewhat like a teardrop, and had a thick mane around their shoulders that trailed up the back of their neck and down their spine. Even in the moonlight, they were dark; a dull green that glinted with purple at the edge of shadow.

The dragon behind them was younger, and much smaller; lighter in color, more like a dried-out leaf, with a white mane that ran straight from their horns to their hips. Unlike the determined forward stare of the older dragon, they kept looking off to the sides, their attention caught by any movement in the moon-pale landscape.

"Is this safe?" They asked, their voice hushed now that they were out of the shelter of the shadows. "We shouldn't be on the ground like this. Not when it's so bright."

"There's always a truce when the moons are full. We travel safely under their light." The older dragon raised their head, their mouth opening slightly - and revealing two mandibles that split away from the sides of their upper jaw - to draw in scent. "Save your breath for walking."

The younger dragon scrunched up their muzzle as if to protest, and then flared out their mandibles in an irritated huff and put their head down to trail behind the older dragon. 

They managed to stay silent as the older dragon led them over hills, through terrain that grew steadily harsher and steeper. The young dragon couldn't help but be distracted then, letting out little awed sighs as they took in the sheer cliffs towering in front of them.

"Weaver, do dragons  _live_ up there?" The young dragon's head was tilted so far back that it was almost in line with their shoulders. "So far from the grass?"

"Eyes forward," the older dragon snapped. "The elders live up there, in the Cocoon. Haven't I taught you anything?"

"I don't think you mentioned how far up it was," the young dragon replied, voice trembling. "Are  _we_ going up there?"

"The eggs will be on the peak, exposed to the full moons," Weaver replied. "Your egg was up there only last year. If you aren't hatched in the moonlight, you can't be named. And if you don't have a name, you can't have the blessing of its light."

"Is that why the WebWings and the SilkWings don't have our powers? Because they hatch in the dark?"

Weaver grunted. "They don't have our powers because they aren't LuneWings. Hurry up, I haven't been training you for this long to have you miss your siblings' hatching."

"But if they hatched in the moonlight, could they become LuneWings? Or if a LuneWing hatches in the dark, would it become a SilkWing?"

"Let's not experiment with anyone's eggs," the older dragon replied, coming to a halt at the bottom of a cliff. "Alright, Adorner, you go up first. Your claws will find the grips, and I'll be right behind you if you fall."

Adorner stared up at the cliff with wide, petrified eyes and gulped. "O-of course, Weaver."

The older dragon picked them up in their mouth, careful not to bite too firmly, and helped them find the first grip. It was a narrow ridge in the rock, but the ridged pads of Adorner's furry toes stuck to it like they were glued. 

"One paw at a time," Weaver advised, "and you'll be at the top before you know it. And you can spread your wings once you're up there."

Adorner nodded grimly, seeking out with trembling legs to find the next hold. Each one seemed more fragile than the next, but they all held - Adorner chanced a glance below - and held for Weaver as well. Reassured by the larger dragon's weight settled comfortably across the wall, Adorner pushed forward, finding each grip easier and easier to find and hold. It seemed like it had been only minutes before Adorner was on the plateau above, but the cast of their shadow told them that it had been much longer - nearly moonhigh!

Weaver clambered over the edge behind them, shaking out their shoulders as they trotted up beside Adorner. "Come on, then, stretch your wings out as we go. We should have left earlier, but this will do. You climbed well."

Adorner nearly bounced with excitement, lighthearted with the older dragon's praise. Their wings opened wide, sliding out from under the plates on their back that kept them hidden; bright green sails with pale white eyespots and edged in brown, and then their second wings opening from under those, a pale moon-white with the same brown lines. Their wings were still too weak to keep them aloft, they knew, but they were getting too heavy for Weaver to carry when they went gathering at night - and that meant they were almost ready to fly on their own!

Adorner was so caught up in their wings that they nearly crashed into the legs of another dragon. Adorner looked up at them fearfully, for a moment believing that the face above them was going to have the horrifying fangs of the WebWings or the eerie tendrils of the SilkWings, but the stranger was perfectly normal.

Weaver loped up behind them, dipping their head politely to the stranger. "Sorry we're late, Coaster. First time climbing the wall."

Coaster dipped their head in return. "Nothing to apologize for, Weaver. Say, is this your grandchild? Grazer's dragonet?"

Adorner bit their tongue to keep from gasping. The stranger - Coaster - knew their mom!

"Yes, this is Adorner." Weaver acknowledged the dragonet with a dip of their head. "We do need to hurry in, though, they've got a sibling on the way."

"Oh, of course!" Coaster stepped aside, revealing a narrow cleft in the rock. "Grazer will be in the first ring. Hope it goes well!"

Weaver only nodded, nudging Adorner towards the cleft. "It's steep," they warned.

Adorner flared their mandibles at the stale air rushing from the hole, but they didn't have time to hesitate. Snapping their mouth shut to block out the smell, they darted into the hole, leaving Weaver to follow at a slower, tighter-fitting pace.  _This darkness is so different from the hollow on the plains_ , Adorner thought, struggling to keep from sliding back down the smoothed path. _LuneWings weren't made to burrow in stone._

A light ahead broke them from their thoughts, and they ran for the exit. As soon as the tunnel ended, the sky began; a huge plateau, full of LuneWings, shining in a darkened rainbow of hues as the moon glinted off of their scales; only a few flashes of bright wings ever crested the sea of bodies. They all seemed to be clustered in the bottom of the bowl - why not sit on the walls? That's what Adorner wanted to do. If this was the peak, like Weaver had said, a dragon could see  _forever_ from up there!

Weaver slipped out of the crevice behind them, blinking against the return of the light. "Let's go find your mother, before the hatching starts."

Adorner nodded, sticking close to Weaver's tail as the older dragon pushed into the crowd. Adorner was glad they hadn't come alone; even if they'd known the path, all they could really see were legs and bellies, and they wouldn't have  _ever_ been able to find one dragon among all of the rest. Weaver jolted suddenly, as if surprised, and then sped up, leaving Adorner struggling between a walk and a run without losing the older dragon in the crowd. 

"Grazer! Lavisher!" The older dragon called. "We're here!"

From behind Weaver, all Adorner could see was the crowd shifting to let another two dragons run up to them. One had dark green scales that glinted with red; the other, purple and gold.  _My parents!_ Adorner clambered up on to Weaver's back, leaning off of the older dragon's shoulders to see their parents. 

They both had the same rounded snouts and large eyes of all LuneWings, though Grazer - Adorner assumed the green was Grazer, at least, because she looked like Weaver - was rather stocky, and Lavisher had an unusually dark mane. But these were their parents! Their mom and dad! But...

Neither dragon seemed to mind them, simply paying Grazer the appropriate respects before pointing out where their egg was settled in the wall. (That was why all of the dragons were at the bottom of the crater, Adorner guessed; if everyone sat on the walls, the eggs might not get to see the moon.) Didn't they care that they'd made it here to see their sibling hatch?

"Still haven't decided on whether to be a drak or a draa yet, Adorner?"

They blinked, staring at the dragon who'd addressed them. They looked kind of like Grazer, but not all the way; they were green and red too, but the colors were swapped, so they seemed red until the moonlight hit them. 

"Oh, Weaver must have held off on the introductions. I'm Jumper, your aunt. Don't worry about the gender thing, there's no rush. You can always be like Weaver, decide neither fits best. This is your first hatching, right?"

Adorner nodded. 

"Oh, great! It's such a clear night, too, there's almost no chance of any of the eggs hatching in the dark. We try to hold it off if it's cloudy, but..."

"Eggs hatch in the dark often?" Adorner questioned. "What about the dragons that hatch from them?"

Jumper gave him a look that was both shocked and deeply saddened. Adorner was still waiting for an answer when Weaver looked back and noticed the draa there. She met their eyes, and then ducked her head and vanished into the crowd.

"Weaver? What happens to the eggs that don't hatch in the moonlight?" Adorner asked.

Weaver snorted, letting one mandible flare to expose their teeth. "Those aren't questions a dragonet needs to be asking just yet. Hush, now, the hatching should begin soon."

Adorner was absolutely  _bursting_ with questions, but even they lost the urge when the largest of the moons lined up with the crater; the moonlight struck the stone, and it reflected back like it was a part of the moon itself. Every dragon seemed to go quiet at once, staring up at the egg they were waiting for.

The first sound of a shell cracking seemed like thunder; an egg in the third ring from the top, scattering shards to reveal a tiny dragonet that seemed jet black and glistened with the dampness left by the membrane of the egg. Adorner watched them intently as they sat up, staring up towards the moons high above, and in moments their scales had dried and were shimmering with blue and green.

"Decider," a voice rumbled, almost as startling as the egg's hatching. Adorner turned, trying to find the source; there  _was_ a dragon on the edge of the crater! They were just standing far enough back that they weren't casting a shadow down into the hollow. They glinted with silver jewelry; that must be the leader - the Queen! They were holding a strange stone in their talons; nearly a boulder, but they were cradling it as if it were an egg, and it too was shining with moonlight.  _That must be how the moons tell the Queen what the names of the dragonets are!_

Eggs continued to hatch, and the Queen continued to rumble out names across the silent crowd. Gradually, the tension of the crowd eased as more and more dragons saw their eggs safely hatched and named. 

"Which egg is my sibling?" Adorner asked quietly, leaning out along Weaver's neck to keep anyone from overhearing. 

"First ring, at the top," Weaver answered, their voice low. "Look in the direction I'm looking, and it's the one on a red cushion."

"Does the color mean anything?"

"Only that it's ours," Weaver replied, worry seeping into their voice.

Adorner sat back between Weaver's shoulders, staring at the egg and willing it to hatch as if they could force it to. From how Weaver was trembling, Adorner could guess that they were trying to do the same. But one by one, each egg was hatching, the dragonets instinctively sitting still on their cushions to keep from falling to the stone below. The moons edged further and further from their place at the height of the sky, and the crater was beginning to dim. The egg was rocking in place, but wasn't breaking the shell.

With a thrill of terror, Adorner realized that their siblings' egg was the only one left to hatch. Weaver felt them shift on their back, but barely had time to mutter a protest before Adorner had jumped up, spreading his mint-green wings wide above the crowd. They were aware of dragons below them gasping and shying away, of Weaver shouting for them to come back, but they couldn't - not now. They nearly slammed into the wall, their wings shaking with the pressure of stopping, and they grasped the wall firmly with three paws. They reached out their free hand to the egg and gently, carefully, broke the shell.

A tiny paw pressed against their own, and the shell fell away as the little dragonet tumbled out against their siblings' chest. Adorner drew away as the last gleam of moonlight left the crater, but as the stone turned back to plain dark gray, the Queen said no name. A different terror clutched at Adorner's heart as they looked back towards the dragonet; inky black, with none of the moon-blessed shimmer that every other LuneWing had. That couldn't mean...

"The last egg has hatched in the shadows," the Queen rumbled at last. "It has not received the moon's blessing. It is not one of us."

" _They_ are my sibling!" Adorner shouted back, ears pinning against their skull as the crowd below gasped. "They hatched while the moon was still high!"

"Your shadow blocked its light," the Queen answered calmly. "The dragonet you hold in your talons is not a LuneWing."

Adorner looked down at the pitch-dark hatchling, who was staring back up at him with wide green eyes. He turned back to the Queen, mandibles flaring. "If they aren't a LuneWing, then I'm not one either!"

"It has no name," Weaver interrupted, their voice high and strained. "It was never meant to hatch. Leave it, Adorner."

Adorner stared down at them. Asking them to leave their sibling alone, a not-LuneWing, after traveling this far to meet them? How was that right?

"They will have a name," Adorner challenged. "I'll take care of them. I'll be their moon if I have to."

Weaver looked as though they were going to continue, but the Queen rapped their claws against the stone with a crack.  _They must be wearing metal claws,_ Adorner realized.  _On a hatching night?_

"If you wish to enter exile with the creature, you may do so. It is within your right." The Queen dipped their head to the edge of the crater, gesturing off the cliff into the darkness.  _The WebWing and SilkWing territories are that way_. Adorner gulped. "Or you can stay, and the beast will be killed."

"I'll go," Adorner said without hesitation. "I-I'll go."

The Queen stared at them a moment longer. "Then leave now, into exile. But your name is now only Deserter, as it will always be under the moon."

"And my sibling?" Adorner - no, Deserter, now - challenged.

The Queen turned away, but their voice still carried clearly. "Name it yourself."

"Drifter," they said, staring down at the crowd in defiance. "Their name is Drifter."

And with that, with Weaver's desperate stare on their back, Deserter clutched the little dragonet to their chest, spread their freshly fledged wings, and soared up, up, up, until they were only a flash of darkness between the dragons and the moon, and then dropped down as a falling star into the land of the enemy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited Apr 7; to change MoonWings to LuneWings bc someone keeps vagueing me for using MoonWings, despite the fact googling 'moonwings wings of fire' doesn't bring up their designs, but also won't actually answer when I ask if they want me to change it. Here's to you; you could have just said you wanted it changed when I asked the first three times instead of vagueing me. Weirdos.


	2. Chapter 1 - Clearsight

“Are you sure we’re making the right choice?” Listener asked.

Clearsight looked back over her shoulder, meeting Listener’s bright yellow eyes. The striped NightWing was looking unusually worried, staring out at the wide expanse of sea in front of them both.

“I’m not sure if it’s the _right_ choice,” Clearsight admitted, “but that doesn’t mean it’s a _wrong_ one.”

Listener walked across the sandy shore to sit beside her, her nostrils flaring as a gust of wind blew salty air across her face. “Your visions-”

“Haven’t been as strong as they were before he enchanted me, I know.” Clearsight gave her friend a gentle push with one midnight-blue wing. “But I can tell you with one-hundred-percent certainty that neither of us are going to die crossing the sea.”

“Neither?” Listener asked, amusement sneaking into her voice.

Clearsight snorted, giving her a rougher shove. “I’ve checked for _everyone_ , but I was trying to be humble! We’ll be fine.”

“That doesn’t mean we should avoid planning. What if the raft sinks?”

“If it sinks before we’re halfway there, we fly back. If it sinks after we’re halfway there, we fly forward. Okay?”

Listener gave Clearsight a shove back. “You’re hopelessly optimistic.”

“I’m able to see the futures where we drown, and I plan to avoid them,” Clearsight countered. “I’m not as fore-blind as I was right after we trapped him.”

“Humble,” Listener said, “you make it sound like it wasn’t all your doing.”

“I’m not an animus. Of course it wasn’t all my doing.”

“You still would have found a way to fix it if you didn’t have Fathom. We both know that.”

Clearsight let out an exasperated moan. “I said _humble_!”

“The empty shore still attracts seagulls?” Another voice happily called out from behind them. “Or perhaps lovebirds?”

Listener looked up, as if expecting to see birds overhead, while Clearsight turned to face the approaching dragon. “Hi, Whiteout! You’re early.”

“Both of us are walking early into destiny,” Whiteout answered, lifting her paws up to keep from kicking any sand. “I am not sure I am enjoying this particular path.”

“Are we the birds?” Listener asked quietly, still looking up.

Clearsight flicked her with her tail. “You could have waited on the grass, we would have come up to see you.”

“No steps backward, only forward. Tangles form when you go backward, you understand.”

“Yeah, I think I know what you mean,” Clearsight extended a wing towards Whiteout, and the drakka bumped it with her own.

“Sometimes knots are good. Like when rock climbing,” Whiteout peered out across the water, her eyes narrowing as she sought for any sign of land on the horizon, “or sailing.”

“Clearsight, is she implying that we’re in love?”

“Three moons, Listener, _please,_ ” Clearsight looked back at her, “sometimes it’s not that meaningful. You know how loud lovebirds can be.”

Listener didn’t look convinced, hunching her dark brown wings up and giving Whiteout a very pointed look. Whiteout just looked smug.

“Is Thoughtful still coming?” Clearsight asked, her claws kneading the sand. “I know it’s early, but-”

“A snail that rushes for food is still a snail,” Whiteout replied, her voice fond. “I can teach clarity, but not speed. He will be on the boat. The lovers will see you off.”

“Too much information,” Listener grumbled, sticking out her tongue.

“She means the Queen and Allknowing, not her and Thoughtful.” Clearsight replied.

Listener rolled her eyes. “I already knew that, it’s still more than I need to know.”

Whiteout peered down at them both, her IceWing blood making her a fair amount taller than her NightWing companions despite only a year’s difference in age. “Are the stars aligned over this journey?”

Listener gave her a stern look, self-consciously rubbing at the pale scales of her keel with the back of a claw. “Clearsight, I really think she’s trying to say that-”

“Everything’s ready for the trip,” Clearsight interrupted, “and the boat’s ready to set sail as soon as we’re all here. I’ve been checking timelines and correcting things all morning, everything’s going to be in place.”

“Hmm, an azure boat on an azure sea. Four good winds and four good wings. An interesting journey.” Whiteout dipped her head towards Listener. “And robin blue to keep things brighter. Yes.”

“We’ll see who’s robbing who once we’re stuck on a boat together,” Listener grumbled.

“She means the bird!” Clearsight laughed. “I know you’re stressed, but I promised you I would only tell you about the future if you were in danger. Have I told you anything?”

“No,” Listener admitted. “Just said I wasn’t going to die.”

“You’ll be fine. We’ll be fine.” Clearsight leaned forward, pressing one of the white blotches on her cheek to Listener’s muzzle. “We can’t face anything worse than what we’ve already beaten.”

“For someone who can see the future, you sure like to tempt fate.” Listener relented, nuzzling Clearsight back.

Whiteout hmmed happily and walked along the sand, tilting her head from side to side to eye the ground. “Apus, Aquila, Corvus, Grus, Tucana, Phoenix, yes, birds and butterflies.”

“I still don’t like your choice of traveling party,” Listener mumbled into Clearsight’s cheek. “How long are we planning on staying there? Until we have to fit a bunch of dragonets on the boat to come back home?”

“Listener!” Clearsight protested, “You don’t really think they’d-”

“You set them up for a happy future! I don’t believe they’d settle for living out their days as the last NightWings on the lost continent.”

“I thought you said Whiteout was weird and insufferable.”

“Well, so was _my_ mom, I came out okay.”

“No, you’re also weird and insufferable,” Clearsight reminded her.

“At least I’m not _wet_ and insufferable,” Listener countered.

Clearsight looked up, frowning. “What does that even me-”

Listener dropped down and ducked under Clearsight’s chest, pushing her up and off-balance. The mottled drakka splashed backward into the water with a shriek, floundering in the surf as Listener nearly fell over laughing.

Clearsight managed to roll up, grabbing at Listener’s leg with her talons, and hauled the other drakka into the water as she fell down again on to her back. Listener sat up, sputtering, her golden eyes bright as she looked down at Clearsight’s grin.

“That was a dirty trick.”

“You got a bath. That’s a _clean_ trick.” Clearsight stuck out her tongue, and then instantly curled her lip as she got a tongueful of saltwater. “Ugh.”

Listener laughed, but trailed off as her gaze drifted towards the horizon. “You mean it about this being okay, right? Nothing’s going to go wrong?”

“Nothing we can’t handle.”

“Nothing _you_ can’t handle,” Listener answered. “What was it you told me? ‘I hope your life is everything it should be’? I’m really hoping that doesn’t mean ‘throwing myself into the ocean and kissing a fish’.”

“It doesn’t,” Clearsight reminded her gently. “I promise. If anything, it’ll be me kissing you, to get you breathing after I save you from drowning.”

“Immensely reassuring, thank you,” Listener grumbled, “since I’m bigger than you and you don’t look like you’re strong enough to lift your book bag most days.”

“They’re big books!” Clearsight laughed, rolling over and sitting up, flapping her wings to dry them and spattering Listener with water. “And I know how to swim! Fathom taught me.”

“Fathom couldn’t teach a _fish_ to swim without fussing over it!”

“Well, I tolerated the fussing, and I can swim, so there.” She bumped her nose against Listener’s. “I promise, after what happened - I’ll never ignore futures like that again. I swear by my scales.”

“I trusted you before, and I trust you now. Just remember… you don’t have to carry fate on your shoulders this time. We’re all here with you.”

“I know. Ever since I left him under the mountain, it’s been less overwhelming. All of the futures are still there, but they aren’t getting in the way of the present. I’m choosing this one because it’s what I want, not because it’s the easiest path, or the best one.”

“What _is_ the best one?” Listener asked, grinning.

“I marry you to a fish and go live with MudWings,” Clearsight gave her best friend a tap with her wing, “and you have wonderful little merdragon babies and my pet rock has a litter of pebbles. Stop _worrying_.”

“What’s your rocks’ name?”

“I named it after you, because its skull is as thick as yours.” Clearsight turned away from Listener, her ears pricked. “Whiteout’s greeting someone up past the hill. I guess the others are here. Are you ready?”

Listener stood up, shaking water from her tabby-patterned scales. “I… yeah, I’m ready. New continent, new bachelors, am I right? Let’s go sink some talons into some soulmates!”

“Maybe they’re merdragons already,” Clearsight stood up as well, her blue eyes gleaming with excitement. “Listener, before we go over there, it… it means a lot that you’re coming with me, after everything that happened.”

“Giving my crush to another drakka?” Listener asked innocently. “If you can find me a new boyfriend on the lost continent, maybe I’ll reconsider my concealed, burning hatred of you.”

Clearsight just snorted, following Listener across the sand and over the little grassy ridge that bordered the coastline.

Her guess had been right; Whiteout was sitting with her back to them, one white wing opened slightly to cup Thoughtful against her side. The drakke - _no, drakka,_ Clearsight corrected, _Whiteout told me yesterday._ \- the drakka looked rather little against Whiteout’s tall frame; Clearsight was just happy she wasn’t going to be the shortest dragon on the journey, even if she felt a little guilty for having Thoughtful taking up the mantle. Clearsight eyed Listener as the dark brown dragon veered around to Thoughtful’s side of Whiteout, putting him between them; at least Clearsight was pretty sure Listener wouldn’t tease _him_ about being little.

Opposite the couple, the much larger forms of the Queen and her seer - and partner - towered over even Whiteout. Queen Vigilance was discussing something intently with Thoughtful, her dark eyes hard. Allknowing nodded to Listener, looking at Clearsight afterwards; Clearsight pinned back her ears to keep from wincing at the memory of how badly Allknowing had fought with Vigilance after Clearsight was appointed seer. For her part, the spectacled older drakka simply tilted her head to Clearsight in the same silent welcome that Listener had received.

Clearsight felt a gentle, cautious probing at her thoughts; despite the distance between them, Clearsight’s senses filled with Listener’s presence. Clearsight dropped her mental barrier, letting her best friend enter her mind.

Listener pulled up an image of Vigilance discussing the IceWings from Clearsight’s memory; worry about the Queen’s motives for going to a new continent seeped through the mindtouch. Clearsight recalled a meeting with the Queen, offering it to Listener’s prodding instead; the Queen shaken by what Darkstalker had accomplished, at how easily he could have taken her power from her for his own revenge, and dismissing Clearsight as her seer so that Allknowing’s unwavering - though blunt - moral compass could take the lead over the inexperience of a dragonet.

The connection hummed with doubt but acceptance, and Listener’s mental touch receded as Clearsight walked up to sit beside her. Over Thoughtful’s shoulder, Clearsight saw Whiteout flick her ears away from the two younger dragonets. Clearsight felt embarrassed enough to blush, even though there wasn’t anything particularly unusual about having a dragon read your mind.

 _But there_ is _something weird about how I share thoughts with Listener,_ Clearsight thought, quickly putting her mental block up again. _I’ve never read any other dragon’s mind, or had any dragon read_ mine _, in the same way._

One thing was certain; Clearsight was very happy that none of them were strong enough to read her mind without her taking down her mental block. Her scales crawled at the thought of having to go on a journey like this with a dragon that could read her so easily.

“We’re expecting that the journey itself will only take a few days,” Queen Vigilance was explaining, sitting with her tail curled around her legs. “The SeaWings will be escorting your vessel as far as their territory reaches, and then you’ll have to fly in shifts to tow the boat the rest of the way. So long as you all stay rested and watch your limits, it should be easy. As for what you do when you reach the lost continent… that will be up to you.”

“Hopefully, we’ll find dragons there that we can communicate with, and we’ll be able to learn about their culture and biology.” Thoughtful replied, glancing over at the rest of the four-dragon crew to make sure they were in agreement. “Depending on what kind of historical records they have, we may learn more about Pyrrhia as well.”

Allknowing turned her stern expression towards Listener at the last part, eye ridges raised, as if she was recalling homework that the drakka had put off or lost. Listener was looking at Thoughtful as he spoke, but she couldn’t help a grimace as her thoughts took the same path.

“If it’s too dangerous, or if there are no dragons,” Thoughtful continued, having taken no notice, “we’ll stay just long enough to recover enough to come home.”

“And if there are dragons? How long should we expect you to be gone?” Vigilance pressed.

“Prince Fathom has a dreamvisitor paired to the ones that Listener and I have,” Clearsight answered, “and we’ll keep you updated through him.”

“Why not leave one of your two dreamvisitors with us, and only take one with you?” Allknowing asked, leaning forward.

 _She never stopped being a teacher_ , Clearsight thought. Aloud, she answered, “if we have to split up, or if one of us gets captured, we need to be able to contact each other.”

Allknowing sat back again, looking satisfied. Queen Vigilance did not seem as content.

“When are you planning to return?” She asked again. “Should we expect weeks, months? A lifetime?”

Clearsight felt the world tilt underneath her talons. For a few dizzying seconds, she saw glimpses of a world she didn’t understand; a golden plain, thick vines with great hooked thorns, a mountainous lowland blanketed in snow, a dragon with wings torn to the bones, Thoughtful and Whiteout herding a group of fledglings, and a pair of eyes that gleamed a poisonous green out of an alien, black-scaled face.

Clearsight blinked, and everything snapped back into focus. The only eyes she had to worry about were the Queen’s, waiting for an answer - and Allknowing’s, she realized with a start, who was staring at her with a subdued focus.

_She knows I had a vision! Did she see it too?_

Clearsight looked into Allknowing’s steely gray eyes, swallowing her fear.

“Four years,” Clearsight answered, her voice sounding much more sure than she felt. “We’ll be gone for four years.”

The Queen nodded, turning back to Thoughtful. Whatever discussion the two continued was lost on Clearsight; she couldn’t shake the sense that even now, a sea away, whichever dragon owned those bright green eyes had felt her vision, and was waiting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> anyways [listener looks like tigerstar and thats Just Canon](https://skaiagalaxy.deviantart.com/art/honey-when-you-kill-the-lights-and-kiss-my-eyes-732818856)


	3. Chapter 2 - Listener

Listener thought of herself as a very brave, no-nonsense, ready-to-face-the-world kind of dragon. She was strong, she was fit, and she knew every hunting skill and battle technique as well as she knew her own scales. If there was something to challenge, she could challenge it.

The boat, however, was winning. 

“Either you put me into that harness and I fly until we reach dry land or by the three moons I am going to jump into the ocean and swim back home.” Listener declared, standing stiff-legged and with every one of her claws dug into the fresh wood of the deck.

Clearsight gave her a sidelong look. “We’re not even out of the Queendom of the Sea yet. The SeaWings are escorting us as far as their whale-hunting grounds, and we’ve barely reached deep water.”

“Then I am going to jump into the ocean and swim to  _ Fathom’s  _ home.” Raising her voice and turning towards the side of the boat, she yelled, “FATHOM!  I’m moving in with you!”

The waves at the port side broke as Fathom surfaced, grinning despite himself as water slicked off of his emerald scales. He pulled a green rope of woven seaweed over his head, letting it sink back into the water as he fell behind the towing crew. Shaking his head to clear his ears, he cheerfully replied, “You’d be stuck babysitting. Indigo keeps volunteering to look after other dragon’s kids. For  _ practice _ .”

“No matter how many fledgelings I have to put up with, I wouldn’t be stuck on a piece of wood in the middle of the ocean,” Listener growled back, unhooking her claws and taking a few tentative steps across the raft. “Hey, you swim  _ and _ you worry. Do you think the boat will make it?”

Clearsight gave a wordless, exasperated growl from behind her that Listener was sure accompanied a very stern look. 

Fathom pushed himself a little higher out of the water, doing a quick scan of the deck before dropping back down. It wasn’t as if there was much to see; it was a flat raft, with one half covered by a reed-woven dome to keep out the rain. NightWings were not exactly seafarers, and SeaWings didn’t exactly need boats.

Fathom shrugged. “I don’t see why it would sink. Deciding that is Clearsight’s job. She’s been doing it, right? And her swimming exercises?”

He popped up from the water again to look at Clearsight. She sighed, giving him a thin smile. “I’ve been doing both, Fathom, you don’t need to worry. We’ll check in with you.”

“The dreamvisiting?” He did a little roll in the water, dousing his back again, before popping back up. “Try to do it often, at least while you’re settling in. Ever since the statue, I - not knowing where people are is tough.”

“I’ll do it as often as I can,” Clearsight promised. “I should be tired enough to sleep like a rock by the time we reach land.”

Fathom nodded curtly. “Don’t - don’t strain yourselves. If you can’t make it, just use the dreamvisitor and I’ll get a group out to tow you back home. I promise.”

“Send a squad of SeaWings into the open ocean to look for a bundle of sticks. Immensely reassuring,” Listener grumbled. She felt her claws loosening their stranglehold on the deck, regardless. “Couldn’t you have just used your… you know, your magic to get us there instantly?”

“I swore I wouldn’t use it again,” Fathom replied, his expression hardening. He stared into the water below his chest for a moment, lost in thought, and then seemed to force himself back to the present with a smile. “Plus, what if I left someone’s tail behind, or something? Would be a bit bothersome to put it back on, with you across the sea. Much better to try the slow way first.”

“When you put it like  _ that, _ ” Listener grumbled, looking at her tail and trying to judge how much she’d miss it, “it’s much less appealing.”

“I’d hope so! Clearsight interrupted. “Don’t even consider it, Fathom! And Listener, you can’t fly without your tail, so don’t you start brooding on it!”

“I wasn’t  _ brooding _ ,” Listener protested with a frown.

“I wouldn’t have used my magic, Clearsight,” Fathom replied gently. “I promise, I’m just joking. I’d never use my magic on another dragon like that.”

“You make it sound so easy to try,” she mewled, her back hunching as she lifted her wings up around her head. “I can’t - I can’t think about you being like  _ him _ , but I can’t make it stop, and I just-”

Listener took a step towards her, but her mind was already strides ahead. Clearsight opened up at her gentle push, spilling out visions of a sea red with blood, of the bodies of countless SeaWings stranded and bloated like beached whales and flecked in seafoam colored pink by the carnage, of a crown of coral and bone that wore jagged holes into the cheeks of the dragon pinned beneath it - underneath the chaos, the raw, pounding tang of Clearsight’s fear, hot as blood in Listener’s mouth. 

Listener fought back her own revulsion, instead pressing her own thoughts against the visions; the recent, still salt-edged memory of playing with Clearsight in the surf; reuniting with her on the sparse lowlands of the NightWings’ new home; the scent of pine in the forests where Listener had grown up, her wild fledgeling spirit straining to memorize every tunnel and tree of the territory that she dreamed was hers and hers alone.

It was like dropping stones into a cup to make the water level rise; each solid memory, weighed down by the experience it was, settled underneath the visions until the fear spilled over and fell away. The first time, Listener hadn’t been trying to help Clearsight; seeing them was accidental, and it was all Listener could do to ground herself until the terror eased. Now, it was second nature.

As cheesy as it felt to admit it, as the visions receded and Clearsight unsteadily folded her wings, Listener would have done anything to protect her. Like sail across the ocean on a bunch of sticks to try and find a continent that might not even exist. That one was  _ definitely _ not a Listener kind of vacation idea.

Her heart swelled as Clearsight gave her a small, weak smile. That  _ is what I’m here for, _ Listener thought, smiling back.  _ I’m here for  _ you _.  _

“Your powers are coming back,” Fathom said quietly, his eyes so wide that the whites of them ringed his bright iris. “I - I’m sorry, I didn’t realize that it was so strong again.”

“It’s alright, Fathom,” Clearsight replied, letting out a long, shaky sigh. “I wasn’t expecting it either. I’ll be fine. I… I’m hoping that being further away will make it easier.”

Fathom frowned.

“If it gets worse, I’ll come back,” she reassured him. “I promise.”

He looked like he wanted to argue, but one the SeaWings still towing the raft barked an order back at him. With an abashed smile, he ducked under the water, resurfacing with his tow rope in his talons. 

“Be safe, alright?”

“We will.” Clearsight said. She glanced back at Listener. “I’ve got the best companions I could hope for.”

Listener felt herself blushing, and hoped Fathom was inexperienced enough with NightWings to keep from seeing the skin on her throat turning dark.

Fathom gave a brusque nod - were his eyes watering, or was that just the seawater? - and dropped the tow rope back over his head before diving into the water. Listener felt for a change in the raft’s speed, but it didn’t seem to be much different. 

“How many SeaWings are down there, anyway?” Listener asked nobody in particular.

Clearsight shrugged. “As many as Fathom could convince, I guess.”

“The Queen didn’t order this?”

“After… you know? I think the Moons themselves could take SeaWing form and beg for aid, and the SeaWings wouldn’t lift a claw to help the NightWings.” Clearsight looked off across the sea, at the rapidly disappearing mainland. “Our powers are dangerous. I can’t really blame them.”

“Then they’ve got bubbles in their brains,” Listener scoffed. “If I knew I could interact with dragons with that much power, I’d want to be as friendly with them as I could.”

Clearsight rolled her eyes. “Yeah,  _ that’s  _ the way you acted the last time you had a chance to kiss up to power.”

“I’d rather kiss Fathom, and he’s  _ old _ . And  _ damp. _ ”

“And he has the same powers,” Clearsight replied with a sigh. “Wait, he’s not  _ that  _ old, only two years older than we are.”

“Well, we’re only six. He’s eight. That’s, like,  _ ages _ . He’s planning a family already!” Listener snorted.

“Maybe  _ I’ve  _ been planning a family.” Clearsight replied. As soon as she’d said it, she slapped a claw over her muzzle, as if she regretted it.

Listener slowly turned to her, grinning. “ _ Oooooooohhhhhh? _ ”

“Oh,  _ please  _ don’t-”

“Who’s the lucky draaaa~gon?” Listener crooned, her fear of the raft forgotten as she practically bounced around the calico drakka. “I hope you’re not leaving them behind. Wait, maybe I hope that you are? Because if it were Thoughtful, that would be kind of weird-”

“It’s not Thoughtful,” Clearsight laughed, rolling her eyes. “And before you ask, it’s not Whiteout, either. They’re still very happy together, and I hope they stay that way.”

“So you left them on Pyrrhia while you went on a cool adventure for a billion years?” Listener tutted. “That’s harsh.”

Clearsight just hummed to herself, gazing out to sea.

 

~~~~~

 

Clearsight, surprising the others, took the first towing shift. Listener lay on the raft at the other end of the rope, watching her intently for signs of fatigue. Whiteout and Thoughtful were alternating between napping and softly chatting at the other side.

Despite Listener’s fretting, she couldn’t deny Clearsight looked fine. Her wingbeats were still strong, and the harness - despite being rope - didn’t seem to be causing her any discomfort. Pyrrhia was nothing more than a purple smudge on the horizon, so she was still making progress. 

Surprise, sharp and static, jolted out of Clearsight. Listener jumped up, just as shocked. Outbursts weren’t usual.

Clearsight didn’t slow down, but she angled herself down so she could eye Listener. “It’s only sunhigh,” she shouted down, “and I can still see Pyrrhia behind us. But… I think I can already see land up ahead.”

“You’re kidding!” Listener yelped. “Hey, Whiteout, balance the raft!”

As Whiteout padded over to take Listener’s spot, the brown dragon jumped up, her wings straining for a few moments before they caught the wind off the sea. She soared up next to Clearsight, squinting across the gently rolling ocean.

Clearsight hadn’t been wrong. It seemed close - impossibly close - but there was a haze on the horizon that suggested land. Listener wheeled, making sure they hadn’t been turned around, but Pyrrhia’s familiar peaks still rose from the sea reassuringly at their back.

“I guess we know where to go now,” Listener said. 

Clearsight nodded, but she didn’t look reassured. The longer Listener looked at the distant haze, the more she wanted to turn around. It was as though the land itself wanted the travelers to turn back, to go home, to forget. 

“Do you feel that?” Listener whispered.

Clearsight took so long to respond that Listener thought her words might have been pulled away with the wind. After a long, tense pause, Clearsight just nodded.

Listener angled her wings, timing her own flaps with Clearsight’s so she could get close enough to hold her best friends’ hand. “It’ll be okay,” she muttered, squeezing Clearsight’s talons. “We’ll make it, and if it sucks we can go home.”

Clearsight squeezed her back. “C-can you fly with me, for a while?”

Listener dropped her hand, but stayed at her wingtip. “I’m with you, for as long as you need me.”

At first, it stayed just a nagging homesickness, the gentlest whisper of it being a bad idea, like the smell of carrion on the wind. With every passing wingbeat, every wave crested, it sang deeper, until the only thing keeping Listener moving forward was the dimmest recollection of there being something ahead that she needed to reach.

Somewhen, Clearsight must have opened to her; dull, discolored memories warped between them, the barest glimmers of a reminder that life was not always this dark and vengeful. Listener wasn’t even sure if the other dragons they had been traveling with were still on the raft, or if they’d turned and fled back to the mainland.

Whoever they had been.

Wherever the mainland was. 

And then with a crunch of wood on gravel, the hum disappeared. Listener nearly dropped from the sky, as if the hum had been the air under her wings. She felt unsteady, harsh around the edges, as if she’d been dragged through sand instead of flying through clear skies. Her brain hungered for the hum to return for a few terrifying minutes, before the call of it ebbed away and she came back to her senses. 

“W-we made it?” Clearsight whispered from behind her. 

Listener nodded. She felt like speaking would fray her frazzled spirit beyond what little grip she had.

For a moment, Listener thought she saw dragons further up the shore, glittering creatures with scales like gemstones and wings that had eyes of their own, intense and unblinking. But they vanished with the sound of the waves crashing on the shore, so swiftly that Listener couldn’t fathom them being anything but her own imagination.

“We’re here,” she said aloud, the fog of her mind clearing. Already, she’d forgotten the sound that had driven her away, the panic it had tried to bleed into her. “Clearsight, if it weren’t for you…”

“I feel the same way about you,” Clearsight answered quickly. “Now let’s find a place to shelter. I don’t want to be in the open when night falls.”

Listener shook out her wings, taking the last of the lingering terror away with her stiffness. Now, she could look at the new continent and marvel at the crispness of the white sand, at the thick green foliage of the treeline further away from the shore, at the bright blue sky above. Her heart lifted. She hadn’t expected paradise, but this didn’t seem so bad after all!

Clearsight was already helping Whiteout and Thoughtful unpack their meager supplies. Listener bounded back to meet them, feeling as light on her paws as a gust of wind.

_ We made it!  _ She thought happily, helping Clearsight heft her bags over her shoulders. “I can’t wait to see if there are any dragons like us here!”

Thoughtful adjusted his glasses, squinting through a blurry mist of dried salt water. “They probably won’t look like us. They’ve been divided from Pyrrhia almost as long as our own flocks have been - and a RainWing is different enough from an IceWing to start with!”

“Still,” Listener persisted, shouldering her own bags, “it would suck to come this far and find it empty.”

“If it were empty, maybe Pyrrhia could expand,” Clearsight suggested. “After all, the flight isn’t very far. I’m not sure why nobody’s made it here yet.”

“The open ocean is incredibly inviting, I’m sure,” Listener remarked.

Whiteout just looked out at the trees, brow furrowed. “I don’t like the sand,” she muttered.

For a reason Listener couldn’t name, that unsettled her more than anything else.


End file.
